I love these. The neutral palette creams were too neutral for my liking, the cool palette suited me better for a color match (even though these have a reputation for being quite pink). Buff is about NW13, Sunrise Flush is NW15. These palettes are great for vacations where I tend to spray tan, but have lost my color by the end of the trip. Don't need to pack 20 different foundations.bEDIT: I am no longer in love. I did find an ok color match: Bomshell, which is the lightest in the neutral palette #1. But the coverage seems so-so. It's medium coverage and doesn't wear well throughout the day. I can still see the few acne scars I want to cover up through the make up, and by the end of the day it has worn off. It's not particularly bad, and I think people wil foundation color matches will like this, unless they are very yellow-toned. Just not worth keeping.

I wanted this to work so badly. I have such a hard time finding a foundation for my yellow undertoned skin. Mac tends to be too orange or red. I was using Lancome but due to their ever increasing prices I could no longer afford it. So went in search of a cheaper alternative (you know how it is ladies). I wanted this 1) good coverage for acne prone/scarred skin 2) reasonable price for my intended usage 3) something that would not upset my skin, causing more breakoutsI am not too fussy. I am not that bothered about dewy or matte finish. I just want something that does not look to mask like. So when I came across this I was really excited. After watching countless YouTube video's I was very optimistic that this was it...the search was over ! I ordered a sample (good thinking) from an online retailer. I tried it right away, the shade was brilliant and the coverage fantastic. Now for the downer...it transfers really badly. So disappointed, I tried setting with powder and still no joy.

This review is for Graftobian High Def Glamour Color Creme Foundation in Ingenue.

Skin: Oily with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (redness) on the apples of my cheeks, between my eyebrows, on my chin, and on my very slick nose (I also wear glasses, so makeup on my nose comes off). My pores also clog very easily - liquid foundations just sink right in and clog everything up, giving me nightmarish acne. Imagine my skin tone to be NC20, but lacking all pink. I don't have a yellow skin tone, but it is devoid of all pink except for the rosacea.

Application method: Wash face, moisturize with sunscreen. Wait until it dries, apply MUF green primer to my cheeks, chin and forehead. After putting on my MUF concealer (it lasts under my glasses and is a good base for my rosacea) I dab a foundation brush in this, sweep it over my forehead, blend, over front cheeks, blend, over back cheeks and temples, blend, over chin, blend, under eyes, blend.

Review: Unfortunately, I have oily skin that can only stand cream foundations. So it is quite normal for me to have to reapply at school or during the day, and with my Cinema Secrets foundation, that's what I have been doing.

But now?

Nope.

Let me start off by saying that there are only two things I don't like about this foundation. First - The container. Since the foundation is very slick, it's sooooo easy for a tiny bit of foundation to slide out on that part of the jar where the lid screws on. It isn't actually a big deal, but I am obsessed with all my beauty products looking nice. I clean out the caps of my lipsticks. It is not a big deal in any way, just drives me a little nutty. Second (and this is EXTRAORDINARILY important), putting on too much of this stuff is the easiest thing in the world. Example - my skin tone is yellow based, but my neck is WAY light, and if I put tanner on, my neck is way yellower than my face. Woohoo. Further more, if I put too much of this stuff on? Well, it's so dang pigmented that I'll look weird. This stuff is crazy pigmented. Another problem is this - it was hard for me to figure out how to put it on. Because its so pigmented, and my neck is lighter and less pink than my cheeks and chin, I have to put it on lightly, but enough that it cover sufficiently. My only tip to you is this - practice, practice, practice, and DO NOT put your makeup on in the car. With this, apply it in whatever light you'll be in all day, and do it slowly, so you don't rush and apply way too much and make it look weird.

This is way better, as far as I am concerned. Why? My biggest reason is this - I get up at 6 am. When I'm applying my makeup in the mirror, its about 45 degrees outside, and about 60 in the house - tops. My cinema secrets foundation was always not blendable and stiff and it drove me up the wall. Graftobian? No prob. I don't even notice a difference from when I'm inside a house that's at 80 degrees (Fahrenheit people.) Better yet - it doesn't melt either. It's very thin (read: not stage makeup. This is television makeup). CS, I had to take a big scoop and smear it on my face to cover my red cheeks (which do not look like they're blushing, just look blotchy). Graftobian, I just smear a veeeeeeery thin layer, and because it's so pigmented - bam! very noticeable difference - and for the better.

Some very important tips: Prepping your skin is so important. In the winter, my face dries up but produces oil, giving my flaky, oily skin all over (ugh) and since you apply a thin coat of this stuff, you have to exfoliate off all the flakes. I use a rough towel, which works really well. If I don't prep, the makeup will catch onto the flakes, which is disgusting. That being said, I only bought this this winter, so I'll update when summer comes around, when I will be visiting both Washington State and San Diego (which melted off my CS foundation halfway through the day).

This product definitely calls for playing around with the application. I tried an application as told by a member on MUA who said they had oily skin, and it melted right off me, but when I just messed around, it lasted all day. Very important - if you get up at six am, work all day, take public transportation home, eat dinner and at 8 pm dress up to go to the club on a friday night? This lasts pretty long (though I mostly attribute that to my Ben Nye setting powder - check out the MUA reviews, because it's AMAZING) but it won't last that long. No need to check halfway through the day, but check after 10 hours, before and after flights, after a long traveling day, after taking a walk in humid air, after a movie, after Woohoo time - I don't know.

Lots of people are warning not to wear this everyday, but I've been wearing it everyday, all over my face, and I look fantastic. Not a single zit or clogged pore. It really depends on who you are, but keep that in mind. Then again - my face wash is a deep cleansing one, I get facials and clean my foundation brush every week.

I recommend buying a palette. I didn't, and I sorta wish I did so I could mix stuff up, but since my face looks very different from my neck, and I need heavy coverage on my cheeks and chin. I originally bought Prima Donna, which ended up not working out - it was way too pink (I lack pinkness in my skin tone) but now that I have Ingenue its better if I don't put on too much. If you apply too much, it's too pink. If you are very certain of your shade though, go ahead and buy a pot - it's cheap enough (this is coming from a broke high school student who pays for all her makeup, makeup tools, clothes, accessories, and personal belongings that aren't furniture). The application takes a whil for me

All in All - HG foundation! And the only change I may see myself making are with shades.

Pros:-full coverage-pigmented-shade variety-cheap

Cons:-need powder to last-hard to figure out how to apply-can be too pink

This is the only foundation so far that covers the rosacea on my chin and around the mouth. I would usually use it only on those areas, on top of foundation, as it's really too thick to use all over my face. (I am by no means in theater and don't need full-full coverage.) It really lasts on the areas I apply it, and redness doesn't peek through all day. Until I find a concealer/foundation that does what this does, I'll continue to use this when I want my redness to be completely gone.

Cons:Not waterproof or transfer proof. (even with setting powder)Not good for people with (very) large pores - it likes clogging them ^-^Felt sticky the whole 9-10 hours I had it onGot new pimples after wearing once...

Would I Recommend?No. Unless it's just for pictures, or for a short period.

I've followed all the advice on here to adjust my skin prep and exfoliate beforehand, and still I hate this foundation.

I've applied it with fingers, a brush, a damp brush, a sponge, a damp sponge... I can't win! It settles in my pores like little white dots all over my face, makes my face look flakey and leathery (very puzzling; I moisturise religiously) and will not blend properly on my nose. It also emphasises all the little hairs on my face which normally are completely unnoticeable (you know the ones).

The only thing I like is the colour, which matches my skin very well. Too bad I'll never be able to use it. If you have even SLIGHTLY dry skin and STILL moisturise heavily, this foundation WILL NOT work for you. I think this would only be suited to very oily skintypes. If that's not you, don't waste your hard-earned cash. Absolutely shocking.

The good news: this stuff makes your skin look flawless. The bad news: Graftobian feels a little heavy on my skin, at least when I use it on my whole face. I can't wait to wash it off.

Of course, everything is relative, so if you're used to a heavier foundation, Graftobian may not have any downside for you. I bought this foundation when I started to break out for the first time in my life, from a medication. My Prescriptives (now-discontinued) foundation, Photochrome, in warm beige (but I can also wear the lighter color vellum, in the winter) didn't completely cover up the break-outs. For other reference, I'm an NC20 in the summer in MAC. I have sensitive skin that's a little oily.

Even though I have cool-toned skin, I bought the warm palette #1. I subscribe to the Bobbi Brown philosophy that everyone has some yellow undertones, and that adding more redness to my pink cheeks isn't the way to go. That said, perhaps the neutral palette would be the better way to have gone.

On the warm #1 palette, I'm somewhere between Ingenue (the second lightest) and Vixen (the third lightest), but closer to Vixen. (I have rosy cheeks, or the Ingenue would have worked.) I often mix Vixen and Ingenue together.

Both colors, and particularly Vixen, are way more yellow than the Prescriptives Warm Buff, but still definitely serviceable.

I stopped the medication, and my skin has pretty much stopped breaking out, but I still use Graftobian sometimes. It's definitely drier than Photochrome, stays put, and gives lots more coverage--it makes my skin look near perfect, and in reality, it's so not. Even my hair stylist remarked on my Snow White complexion--my skin usually looks ruddier.

Here's a tip to make your makeup look even more amazing: if the foundation settles in your pores, take a foundation brush or an angled blush brush (I prefer the latter) and swirl the makeup once it's on. First, though, I apply a tiny amount with my fingers and blend. Then, with the brush, I swirl first clockwise and then counterclockwise. I don't find that Graftobian accentuates the pores--quite the opposite--but if you do this trick you won't see pores, period. It can actually look kinda scary, almost too perfect, so don't go too overboard.

But even without doing the clockwise/counterclockwise swirl, this stuff is pretty amazing. As several reviewers have remarked, Graftobian would be great to use if you're taking photos. It's not quite a matte look; it's a little dewier than that. I set with Fresh powder in Chalet Girl, and voila.

Because of the heaviness of the product, usually I use the Prescriptives and then spot-apply Graftobian for any break-outs and discolorations. But Groftobian for special events or when my skin is looking too ruddy/irritated is a must.

Also: Graftobian is awful under the eyes. It looks like a hot, dry, caked-on mess! I would think if you have dry skin, Graftobian might be too drying anywhere on your face, unless cut with moisturizer.

All in all, a good product that I'm glad I have.

UPDATE: I bought the neutral palette #1 to compare. The colors are much much lighter than the warm palette #1. Glamour Girl, the darkest color on the neutral palette, is a little lighter that the Vixen (the middle color) on the warm palette. Using Glamour Girl and Vixen on the cheeks in a toss up, but Glamour Girl on the chin or forehead is too light. I could try the neutral palette #2, but the warm is working, so I'll stick to it.

I just received this item in a swap. It is the Neutral Palette #1. It is the lightest neutral palette. Even though I have a whole Palette, I was more interested in the Bombshell and Prima Donna shades. Though I think applied sheerly either color can work, I will say Bombshell is much closer to my actual skin tone and colour. Since I have had issues with sponge blenders looking splotchy, I went with a damp expert face brush instead. I can say that the results of the application are amazing. A little goes a long way and can be spread across the whole face. Very versatile coverage, full coverage without being cakey at all. I am extremely impressed. I like the more sheer down look, only adding extra where needed. I barely feel this on my skin. It looks incredibly natural. If applied lightly, transferring doesn't seem to be much of an issue. I can see this lasting longer on dry skin, but considering the current weather and using a benzoyl peroxide cream in my regiment lately, I have had no problems with this foundation lasting all day (10 hours) Though I think it may break down faster on oilier skin. Not sure will have to update when tested.

I think I have hit the jackpot on foundations lately.Then again it is the Fall, so we will see how the hold up once summer comes around again. I am currently reviewing Graftobian creme foundation, illamasqua skin base, and soon Kevyn Aucoin's SSE.

Considering the price, once you know your shade, I would buy a full size single tub. Very inexpensive and in my opinion much, much better than a drug store brand. Then again I have had Zero luck with drug store brands and my skin. I know I will be purchasing the full size of this when I run out.

Just as a warning this foundation contains Lanolin, so please be aware of this before you try it, if you are allergic to lanolin.

::edit:: 11/25/2012I am not sure about this for every day wear, I think the beeswax ingredient may be a little too hard on my skin to wear everyday but on occasion would probably be fine. I should note I have had problems with beeswax as an ingredient on facial skin in the past. It could be other ingredients but I am not sure, still no breakouts but, I can feel that my skin is stressed after wearing this for several days verses other foundations.